Welcome to our blog! Here, we embark on a journey to explore the exquisite world of Chinese handicrafts. We'll delve into their rich history, uncover the secrets of traditional craftsmanship, and provide you with practical guides to help you select the perfect piece. So, join us as we begin this adventure to the East!Article Overview & Key Takeaways
This article explores the 8,000-year history of Chinese lacquerware, a beautiful and practical art form that actually originated in China, despite being sometimes called "Japan" in English.
- What is Lacquerware? It's an object, often made of wood or fabric, coated with the sap of the lacquer tree. This natural plastic creates a hard, waterproof, and glossy surface.
- Why Read This? You'll discover:
- The ancient origins of lacquer in the Neolithic age.
- The Golden Age when lacquer was used for everything, from cups to coffins.
- How Buddhism and international trade spread these techniques across Asia and even to Europe.
- The key innovations—from simple colored coatings to intricate carvings and glamorous inlays with gold, silver, and mother-of-pearl.
- A Timeline of Innovation:
- Origins (c. 6000 BCE): A protective coating is discovered.
- Golden Age (c. 475 BCE - 220 CE): Lacquer becomes the dominant luxury material; dry-lacquer and key decorative techniques are invented.
- Age of Expansion (c. 220 - 907 CE): Dry-lacquer is used for Buddhist statues; marbled lacquer appears; techniques spread to Japan.
- Artistic Peaks (c. 960 - 1368 CE): Two contrasting styles emerge—simple, single-color ware and intricately carved lacquer.
- Global Trade (c. 1368 - 1800 CE): A definitive book on lacquer is written, and lacquer screens become a sought-after European luxury import.
By the end of this article, you'll have a clear roadmap of Chinese lacquer's incredible journey from a simple, practical discovery to a sophisticated art form traded across the globe.
The crafts appearing or the imitation lacquerware handmade crafts of the cultural relics appearing in this article, if you are interested, you can directly click the link to buy.
- Pingyao Lacquerware
- Zeng Hou Yi Mandarin Duck Box
- Mother-of-pearl-inlaid(luo dian) lacquer tea tray
- Antique-Style Three-Fish Pattern Eared Cup
- Yangzhou Tihong Carved Lacquer Business Card Holder
Did you know that the beautiful, glossy lacquerware often called "Japan" in English actually originated in China? Yes, it's true! While the name might be confusing, the art of lacquer is a gift from China to the world.
Let's travel back in time and explore this incredible 8,000-year story.
The Beginning: A Magical Discovery (c. 6000 BCE)
Imagine being a farmer in Neolithic China[1]. One day, you notice something amazing: the sticky sap from a lacquer tree[2] can be painted onto a wooden bowl. Once it dries, it creates a hard, shiny, and waterproof shield. It's like magic!
This was the birth of lacquerware. People first used it to protect their wooden tools and containers. But soon, they thought, "This protective coat is great... but could we also make it beautiful?"
The lacquer bow unearthed at the Kuahuqiao site in Xiaoshan, Zhejiang, dating back 8,000 years, is the earliest lacquer ware discovered in the world so far.
That simple question launched thousands of years of artistic exploration.
First, Let's Add Color! (Neolithic Period, c. 5000 BCE)
The first step towards beauty was color. At the famous Hemudu archaeological site[3], we've found 7,000-year-old bowls painted with two colors: black and red.
A vermilion lacquer wooden bowl unearthed at the Hemudu site
Red came from a mineral called cinnabar, and black from soot. Why just these two? It wasn't just a style choice. The raw lacquer sap is a sticky, dark brown color that's hard to mix with other pigments. For a long time, red and black were the only colors that worked.
Time to Bling! (Shang and Zhou Dynasties, c. 1600-256 BCE)
Stuck with a limited color palette, ancient artists got creative in a different way. They started decorating lacquerware with shiny things! They inlaid their designs with shells, turquoise, and even gold.
Two fragments of lacquerware unearthed from the Shang and Zhou dynasties site at Liulihe, Fangshan, Beijing, surface densely inlaid with shells.
This was the beginning of all the amazing inlay techniques that would come later. But at this time, bronze was the star material for making fancy objects, so lacquerware was still a sidekick.
The Golden Age: Lacquer for Everything! (Warring States, Qin, and Han Dynasties, c. 475 BCE - 220 CE)
Finally, lacquerware had its moment in the sun. The age of bronze was ending, and people fell in love with lacquer. And we mean really fell in love. There was almost nothing that wasn't made from it.
The painted lacquer coffin from the tomb of Marquis Yi of Zeng, dating to the Warring States Period, is housed in the Hubei Provincial Museum.
You name it, they lacquered it: cups, plates, furniture, shields, musical instruments, and even coffins. Everyone, from the emperor to the common soldier, used lacquerware in their daily life.
This explosion in popularity led to big innovations in two areas: the base material and the decoration.
1. New Base Materials (The "Body" of the Object):
The earliest lacquerware was just wood coated in lacquer. But now, artists experimented with bases made of bamboo, fabric, and metal. The most important invention was "jia zhu" , or dry-lacquer .
Painted Lacquer Toiletry Case with a Core of Cloth and Lacquer Depicting a Travel Scene, Warring States Period, Hubei Provincial Museum
Think of it like paper-mâché, but much fancier. They made a mold, covered it in layers of lacquer-soaked fabric, and once it was hard, they removed the mold. The result? A lacquer object that was incredibly strong, yet light as a feather. This was a game-changer!
2. Explosion of Decoration Techniques:
Artists went wild with new ways to decorate. Here are just a few:
- Painted Lacquer: They kept painting with colored lacquer, but also started mixing it with tung oil[4] to create more colors. This was called "miao you" .
Painted mandarin duck-shaped lacquer box with music and dance scenes, Warring States Period, Hubei Provincial Museum
- Engraving: Instead of a brush, they used a sharp tool to carve delicate lines into the surface. This is called "zhui hua" .
Incised lacquer jar with cloud patterns, Western Han Dynasty, Yangzhou Museum
- Inlay and Gilding: They filled those engraved lines with colored lacquer or gold leaf. They also glued on gold and silver foil to make objects shine.
Silver-mounted painted lacquer box with gold tracery, containing a set of five nested boxes, Western Han Dynasty, Tianchang City Museum, Anhui Province
- 3D Effects: They built up layers of thick lacquer to create raised, three-dimensional patterns. This is called "dui qi" .
Painted double-linking cup with phoenix design, Warring States Period, Hubei Provincial Museum
This period, especially the Han Dynasty, is considered the first great peak of Chinese lacquer art. Most of the national treasure pieces we see in museums today come from this time.
A Time of Change: Buddhism and New Textures (Three Kingdoms to Tang Dynasty, c. 220-907 CE)
For a few centuries, lacquerware took a backseat as pottery became more popular. But one technique from the golden age became a superstar: the light-as-air dry-lacquer .
Why? Because of Buddhism! People wanted to parade huge, impressive statues of the Buddha through the streets. A heavy stone or bronze statue was impractical. A dry-lacquer statue, however, was perfect—it could be massive but light enough to carry. This art form was called "dry-lacquer statue-making" .
No lacquer statues from the Wei and Jin dynasties have survived to the present day. This particular statue is a Tang dynasty Buddha statue housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the United States.
During this time, a completely new and unique style also appeared: "xi pi" or "marbled lacquer" . It's like the abstract art of the lacquer world. By building up layers of different colored lacquer on a textured surface and then grinding it all smooth, artists created beautiful, swirly, one-of-a-kind patterns.
Rhinoceros skin-patterned ear cup with a golden rim, Kingdom of Wu, Three Kingdoms Period, Anhui Provincial Institute of Cultural Relics and Archaeology
When the Tang Dynasty arrived, China entered a new era of power and wealth, and lacquerware got glamorous. Two styles stand out:
- "Luo dian" (Mother-of-Pearl Inlay): Artists ground shimmering shells into tiny pieces and arranged them like a mosaic to create intricate, gleaming pictures. Sometimes they added bits of turquoise, coral, or agate for extra luxury.
Tang dynasty five-stringed lute in rosewood with mother-of-pearl inlay, Shosoin Repository, Japan
- "Jin yin ping tuo" (Gold and Silver Flat Inlay): This was an upgrade from the older gold foil technique. They'd apply the gold or silver design, then cover it with several layers of lacquer. Finally, they'd polish the surface until the hidden metal design was revealed, perfectly smooth and level with the lacquer. It was stunning.
Four-mandarin-duck mirror with gold and silver inlay, Tang Dynasty, Shaanxi History Museum
The Tang Dynasty was also a time of great cultural exchange. We know that both the dry-lacquer statue technique and the art of painting with gold (called "miao jin" ) traveled to Japan during this period, where they influenced the development of Japan's own famous lacquer arts.
Minimalism vs. Maximalism (Song and Yuan Dynasties, c. 960-1368 CE)
If you think the Song Dynasty was all about simple, elegant taste, you'd be right... and wrong. The Song Dynasty gave us two totally opposite styles, both masterpieces.
- The Minimalists: "Su xiu" (Plain Lacquer). This was the height of simplicity. Objects were coated in a single color, often a beautiful, glossy black or rich red, with no decoration at all. The beauty was in the perfect form and flawless surface.
Eleven-petal lotus-shaped lacquer bowl, Northern Song Dynasty, Wenzhou Museum
- The Maximalists: "Diao qi" (Carved Lacquer). This was the opposite. Artists would build up layer after layer of lacquer—sometimes hundreds of layers, a process that could take months!—until they had a thick block. Then, they would carve deep, intricate designs into it, like scenes from nature or mythology. If they used all red layers, it's called "ti hong" (carved red lacquer). If they used layers of different colors, it's called "ti xi" (carved multi-color lacquer).
Round plate with gardenia pattern in carved red lacquer, made by Zhang Cheng, Yuan Dynasty, Palace Museum
This carved lacquer style became even more refined in the following Yuan Dynasty, and Yuan carved lacquer is considered some of the finest ever made.
The Last Hurrah and a Global Hit (Ming to Early Qing Dynasties, c. 1368-1800 CE)
After all this experimentation, the Ming Dynasty saw a second great peak in lacquerware. Its most important contribution was a book—the only one ever written in ancient China entirely about lacquer. Called the "Xiu Shi Lu" (The Record of Lacquering)[5], it summarized centuries of knowledge, listing 14 main categories and over 100 specific techniques. It's still a bible for lacquer artists today.
New techniques kept appearing, like using inlaid mother-of-pearl along with jewels, ivory, and coral to create incredibly rich pictures, a style called "bai bao qian" (hundred treasures inlay).
Black lacquer vertical cabinet inlaid with various treasures depicting children at play, Ming Dynasty, Palace Museum
Interestingly, during this time, a technique of painting raised gold designs became so popular in China that people thought it was a Japanese import and called it "foreign lacquer." It shows how these art forms were traveling back and forth and influencing each other.
As China opened up to the world, lacquerware found a huge new market: Europe! In the early Qing Dynasty, large, intricately carved and painted lacquer screens, called "kuan cai" screens, became a massive hit. The East India Company shipped thousands of them to Europe, where they were treasured as exotic luxury goods, just like silk and porcelain. They were one of the last great chapters in the long, long story of Chinese lacquer.
So, from a simple, waterproof coating 8,000 years ago to a sophisticated art form traded across the globe, Chinese lacquerware has a history as rich and deep as its shine.
Notes for readers:
[1] Neolithic China: The later part of the Stone Age, when people began farming and making polished stone tools, roughly 10,000 to 2,000 years ago in China.
[2] Lacquer Tree (Toxicodendron vernicifluum): A tree native to China and East Asia. When its bark is tapped, it produces a sap that, once processed, becomes a durable, natural plastic. Note: The sap is toxic before it cures and can cause severe skin rashes, which is why it's sometimes called the "poison ivy tree"!
[3] Hemudu site: An important archaeological site in Zhejiang province, China, showing evidence of a advanced Neolithic culture that lived in stilt houses and grew rice.
[4] Tung oil: A fast-drying oil pressed from the nuts of the tung tree, another plant native to China. It was used for waterproofing and, when mixed with lacquer, to create more vibrant colors.
[5] "Xiu Shi Lu" (The Record of Lacquering): Written by a lacquer artist named Huang Cheng in the Ming Dynasty, this book is the foundational text for understanding the history and techniques of Chinese lacquerware.
